


Better Than Chocolate

by RaeDMagdon



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Cute, F/F, Fluffy, Next Door Neighbors, No Reapers, No Sex, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25773013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon
Summary: A very intriguing human has moved in next door. Liara's attempts to get to know her better are... awkward.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni
Comments: 30
Kudos: 202





	Better Than Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> I discovered this in my WIP folder! It's from a while ago, though. I hope you all enjoy.

> _ Liara, _
> 
> _ Welcome to the neighborhood! Please give these Earth foods a try. Chocolate’s my favorite, so I hope you like it, too. _
> 
> _ Shepard (4C) _

Liara read the note attached to the beautifully wrapped basket, which she’d found waiting at her doorstep, then read it again. Her stomach fluttered as she ran her thumb over the card, just beneath Shepard’s name, before tucking it back inside the basket.

Although she’d completed numerous English, Spanish, and Mandarin language modules in preparation for her stint on Mars, and her translator helped with anything she didn’t understand, she’d never encountered the word ‘chocolate’ before. Judging from context and the contents of the basket, she assumed it was food of some type. Levo, obviously, or humans wouldn’t be able to ingest it.

Just in case, she removed one of the colorful bars from the basket, flipping it over to read the ingredients. Quite a bit of sugar—she knew that one, a human sweetening agent—and some ground plant matter for flavoring.  _ It should be safe for me to try, and it truly was kind of her… _

Liara’s cheeks burned as she thought about her new neighbor. Some of her colleagues back on Thessia had teased her about ‘mingling with the locals’ when they’d heard about her trip to Mars, but she’d brushed off their comments. Humans were fascinating subjects for study, but she didn’t have time for distractions, especially distractions of the romantic variety. She was here to work.

_ Still, Shepard is very nice to look at, with her bright red fur and those charming dots on her face. _

The fur— _ No, hair, _ Liara corrected herself—had been one of the first things she’d noticed upon meeting Shepard. It was a much flashier color than most humans possessed, and it had caught her eye immediately when she’d answered the knock on her door.

Shepard’s voice was the next thing Liara had noticed. Compared to asari languages, English was harsh and stuffed full of extra consonants, but when Shepard had said: “Hey. Name’s Shepard. Guess I’m your new neighbor,” the low husk of her voice had sent a shiver down Liara’s spine. When Shepard had stuck out her hand for a traditional human greeting, Liara’s knees had wobbled. All the blood had rushed from her head, pooling in lower reaches.

It had been quite an alarming reaction, all the more surprising for its frequency. Every time she’d passed Shepard in the hall since then, the same tingly, dizzying feeling had overcome her, even when they didn’t exchange anything more than smiles.  _ Especially _ when they exchanged smiles.

Realizing she’d been standing outside her apartment for an awkwardly long time, Liara scanned her palm on the door and carried the basket inside. Her apartment wasn’t much to speak of, with little more than a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, but it had everything she needed. She spent most of her time at Tharsis Research Station anyway, examining recently unearthed Prothean technology. It was engrossing work, and she often arrived home much later than intended.

Once she’d armed the security system (as she’d promised her mother she always would), Liara set the basket on the counter to examine its contents more thoroughly. There were several different foods: sweet smelling fruits; colorful icing painted on flat bread, pierced by a thin wooden stake; and, of course, the chocolate.

She brought the bar to her nose, inhaling its scent. Through the wrapping, she detected a dark and enticing aroma, one that made her mouth water.  _ This smells almost as good as Shepard, _ she thought, before cringing in embarrassment.  _ Liara! Those kinds of thoughts are quite unnecessary, not to mention unbecoming of a serious scholar… _

But that didn’t make them any less true. She’d caught a faint whiff of Shepard’s cologne the last time they’d taken the elevator together, and the pleasant distraction and lightheadedness had nearly caused her to miss her floor.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, Liara set the bar on the counter and activated her Omni-tool.  _ Perhaps learning more about this ‘chocolate’ will distract me… and it will be something to discuss with Shepard when I thank her for the gift. _

Her search provided several interesting facts. First, chocolate could be melted, and even added to beverages. It could also be used as flavoring in frozen sweet treats such as ‘ice cream’, which Liara had enjoyed on a colleague’s recommendation her very first night on Mars. (She’d kept one of the staple flavors, ‘strawberry’, on hand in her freezer ever since.)

When Liara read that melted chocolate could be  _ drizzled _ over other, complimentary ice cream flavors, her mouth fairly tingled with anticipation. Eagerly, she switched off her omnitool and placed the bar inside the microwave. It had been quite thoughtful of Shepard to purchase the bar pre-wrapped, to hold the melted chocolate without the use of a bowl.

Setting the timer for twenty seconds, she went to the freezer to retrieve the strawberry ice cream. If that wasn’t enough time, she could always melt it some more…

She’d just scooped a generous portion of ice cream into a bowl when the scent of smoke hit her nose. Frowning, she turned to see where it was coming from, only to gasp in horror. Sparks flew from the microwave door, and smoke poured through the gaps.

“Oh no!”

Liara rushed to the microwave, but hesitated as another shower of sparks rained within. She glanced around the kitchen, searching frantically for a way to prevent disaster.  _ Water? The sink? No, this is an electrical fire… a fire extinguisher! Wait, where is it? _

While she stared helplessly at the microwave, a loud bang came from the front door, followed by a familiar voice:  _ “Liara, are you okay in there? I heard a scream.” _

“Shepard!” Liara abandoned the smoking kitchen and rushed to the front door, flinging it open in desperation. “The thing that heats my food is sparking. Please—”

“The thing that heats—” Shepard’s eyes widened, and she rushed into the kitchen, with Liara following close on her heels. “Stand back,” she said, and Liara watched, hands clasped nervously in front of her, as Shepard unplugged the microwave. The light turned off, and the sparks stopped.

_ Microwave! That’s the word! Oh, Liara, you are such a fool. _

“Leave the door closed,” Shepard said, even though Liara hadn’t made a single move to interfere. “It’ll smother the fire. What happened?”

“I…” Liara averted her gaze, hoping her blush wasn’t too obvious. “Oh Goddess. The extranet said that chocolate could be melted, and…”

Shepard peered through the clear plastic on the microwave’s door. She laughed, and Liara’s face burned hotter than all of Mars’ many volcanoes put together. “Liara, why’d you leave the wrapper on?”

“Oh.” Her heart sank as she realized what had happened. “Your wrappers don’t double as heatable food containers or pouches, do they?”

“Some do, but most don’t. Usually, you gotta put your food on a plate or in a bowl before you heat it up.”

_ Of course. How obvious. Oh, Shepard must think I’m such a fool! _

“Hey, it’s okay. The fire’s out. You’ll need to wipe down the microwave later, but everything’s fine.”

Liara blinked, realizing that Shepard was standing right in front of her. The human had approached while she was busy inwardly chastising herself. At such close range, she could smell Shepard’s cologne again, and it only grew stronger as the air filters cleared away the smell of smoke and burnt chocolate.

“I—what? I apologize. I suppose I am still a little embarrassed.”

Shepard grinned, and two adorable dimples appeared on her cheeks. One thing their species had in common, at least on an individual basis. “Did I ever tell you about the first time I was stationed on a turian colony?”

Liara’s eyes widened. She’d known Shepard was a soldier, and currently under orders to protect sensitive information at the same research station where she worked, but she hadn’t realized Shepard had been stationed anywhere else, especially somewhere outside human-controlled space. “No. I had no idea.”

“Well, first time I tried to shower, there were all these tiny brushes. I figured they were for cleaning my teeth, and that’s what I used them for. Wasn’t until a week later that I realized they were for washing between the plates. I was using turian scrub brushes on my gums for a week, and believe me, it wasn’t fun.”

Liara couldn’t help herself. She laughed. But when she met Shepard’s eyes during her giggle fit, the human didn’t seem the slightest bit upset.  _ I’m no expert on human facial expressions, but she seems… happy? _

“Look at it this way,” Shepard said. “Now you’ll have a funny story to tell your friends.”

Liara stopped laughing. “I don’t have many of those,” she admitted, “here or back on Thessia.”

“Really?” Shepard’s eyebrows lifted, and Liara couldn’t help but notice the thin white scar that slashed through one of them. It left the eyebrow crooked, but in a roguish and attractive way. “You seem too sweet not to have friends.”

_ Sweet? Oh, Goddess preserve me.  _ Liara chewed nervously at the inside of her cheek, trying not to read too much into the compliment.  _ She is merely being polite. Surely.  _ “Most asari my age prefer to socialize rather than study. I would never judge them for enjoying their youth, but I prefer discovering new things, especially about the Protheans.”

“So, a bookworm? Thought so.” Shepard winked, and Liara’s stomach fluttered. Even though the danger had long since passed, her heart continued pounding in overdrive.

“A what?”

“Bookworm. Just an English term for someone who likes to read and learn.”

“Ah. In that case, I suppose I am a bookworm.”

“Me too, believe it or not, although most of the books I read have space battles in ‘em.”

Liara smiled. Just listening to Shepard made her feel giddy, not to mention hot all over—and not just her face anymore. “I have been known to indulge in fiction from time to time. Perhaps you could recommend some human authors?”

“Sure. I even have some hard copies.”

_ “Really?”  _ Liara fairly drooled at the prospect. Although most of her work was done on terminals and datapads, she had always enjoyed the feel of a book or scroll in her hands. “I would be delighted.”

“My pleasure.” Shepard hunched her broad shoulders, rubbing the back of her neck. It took Liara a moment, but it dawned on her that Shepard was mildly embarrassed. “Uh, but before I go listing names, how dirty is too dirty?”

After yet another moment of confusion, Liara realized what Shepard meant. Her heart sank, and her eyes dropped to her shoes.  _ Of course. Other species always seem to believe my people are obsessed with sex… _

“Liara?”

Something in Shepard’s voice caused Liara to look up again.  _ A note of regret, perhaps? _

“I didn’t mean to offend you. If you don’t like that kind of thing, it’s okay. I just sometimes read—ah fuck, I’m digging myself into a deeper hole here.”

Although she’d never heard the idiom before, Liara got the gist. “Oh. You were offering me this, erm, reading material because you enjoy it? Not because you assumed I would?”

“Well, yeah. But I probably crossed a line. Maybe I spend too much time around other soldiers.”

Liara’s smile returned almost instantly. “Oh, no! I am not offended at all. At least, now that I know what you meant.”

Shepard’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes humans and other alien species assume asari are…how shall we say…easily, or even always, available for such things.”

“Oh.  _ Oh. _ No, I didn’t mean that at all. I wasn’t trying to, like, come onto you or anything… well, I was, but not like that.”

_ Wait. She was? She  _ what?

Liara’s brain stopped dead in its tracks. Much like the microwave after it had been unplugged, it sputtered and died, unable to form thoughts. She stared stupidly at Shepard, completely taken aback. Her mind couldn’t process it.

_ Me. Shepard expressed interest in  _ me.  _ Sexually and romantically. Her. Me. Together. _

At that moment, it didn’t matter what for, and Liara couldn’t have processed all the possibilities anyway. It was no exaggeration to say she’d never been in this position before in her life, where someone she was attracted to had expressed a mutual interest.

“Ahem.” Shepard cleared her throat. “I should probably get back to my apartment. So. Enjoy the chocolate! But don’t heat it with the wrapper next time, okay?”

_ Oh no. She’s leaving. Say something! _

Liara’s mind continued spinning, but her body sprang into action. She reached out, grasping Shepard’s wrist. “Wait.”

Shepard stopped. Turned. She made no move to pull her hand from Liara’s. Her eyes widened in question, and they were such a brilliant shade of green that Liara couldn’t help herself.

“Shepard?” she whispered, drawing closer—close enough to feel Shepard’s body heat through her uniform.

“Hm?”

“I think I would like to kiss you.”

The words sounded awkward, so painfully stilted, but to Liara’s utter relief, Shepard grinned from ear to ear. (Ears—another fascinating feature humans possessed.) She laced their fingers together, and lifted her other hand to cup Liara’s cheek. “Yeah?”

This time, even Liara couldn’t miss the anticipation written all over her face. She gathered her courage and leaned in.

Shepard’s mouth didn’t taste like much at first. Warm, mostly. Warm and very soft. Shepard’s lips remained perfectly still against hers at first, but when they moved the slightest bit, Liara tasted more—and melted. Shepard’s mouth fit perfectly against hers, and when it opened just a little, Liara reacted on instinct. She flicked her tongue, and Shepard moaned.  _ Moaned. _

The vibration sent tingles along Liara’s spine. She found herself clutching Shepard’s sleeve with her free hand, because otherwise, she feared her knees might give. But they didn’t, and when she and Shepard finally broke apart, she felt as though she might float straight up to the ceiling.

Her mouth moved, still only an inch away from Shepard’s, but she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t think. Could barely even breathe.

_ I suppose that is what they mean by ‘kissed breathless’. _

“Um, was that okay?” Shepard asked, gazing hopefully into her eyes.

Liara laughed. It was a relief that Shepard happened to be somewhat awkward as well, and not the cool, collected soldier Liara had first assumed she was. “Very much so. I told you I wanted to kiss you, didn’t I?”

Shepard smirked. “Yeah. Yeah you did. So… d’you think I could take you out for dinner sometime? I know some good places on Mars I could show you.”

“I would like that very much.” Liara hesitated, but after a moment, she found the courage to stroke a loose lock of Shepard’s hair. The short red strands were even softer than expected, and they slid through her fingers like silk. “Thank you, by the way. For the gift basket. And for saving me from the microwave.”

“Saving people is what I do, ma’am.” Shepard caressed Liara’s cheek one more time, then dropped the hand to her shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. “So, did you like it?”

“The kiss? Absolutely.”

“Um, I meant the chocolate, but thanks.”

“Oh.” Liara sucked nervously at her bottom lip. “I haven’t gotten to try it yet.” She lowered her lashes, then murmured, “But I already think you taste better.”

Shepard’s eyes widened. She made a choking, wheezing sound, and stepped away from Liara to turn her head.  _ “What?” _

Liara frowned, but then her own eyes widened as she realized what she had accidentally implied. “Oh! I simply meant to say that your mouth—oh, Goddess.”

“It’s okay,” Shepard said. “I get it. Wanna try the chocolate? I’ll show you the right way to eat it.”

Liara’s heart did a pleased flip in her chest. “Yes. When it comes to human cuisine, consider me your eager pupil.”


End file.
